ROCKLAND – A joint session of the Knox County Budget Committee and the Knox County Commissioners unanimously approved a proposed budget for 2022.  

The gross budget came in at $13,231,350, up five percent over last year. The net budget came in at $10,084,709, up 2.76-percent over last year.

Gross = total expenditures minus revenues = net.  

The budget process began in the early summer when departments submitted their budget proposals for the coming year to the county administrator. A budget was prepared and in November it was reviewed by the budget committee and the county commissioners, at which time public hearings allowed the public a chance to review and comment on the budget.  

Budget committee member Bob Duke spoke to the budget.  

“If you look at it in total, it’s a responsible budget,” said Duke. “But for the individual who maybe just got home from work and doesn’t have the time to come to these events, they may not feel that. They feel the budget is out of control. When you look at it piece by piece like we have to, you say yeah, I can see why they need that money.” 

Knox County Commissioners will receive a pay raise in the coming year. Their pay will increase to $9,000 up from $8.500. The stipend for the commission chair will increase to $800 up from $750.   

Shawn Wallace is president of the corrections union for the county jail. He is also a transport officer for the jail and a resident of the town of Union. He spoke during the public portion part of the budget hearing.  

Wallace spoke to the wage issue of the jail workers and the need for better wages to retain employees. He cited two employees that had left for the Two Bridges facility and two had left for Waldo County because of the better wages they could receive there.  

“Right now, we have received an eight percent raise,” said Wallace. “I was looking for a 10 percent raise. I am fearful that at the beginning of the year we are going to see a mass exodus of corrections officers. That would cost taxpayers a lot more money with boarding out our full facility at another county.” 

County Administrator Andrew Hard said that he, personally would not have a problem bringing forth a 20-percent increase if he had the information to back it up.  

“It’s a big pill to swallow to come in with that much,” said Hart, “but if I’ve got the information to back it up, and I can prove we’re behind and we need to go to that amount or even ten percent. I don’t have a problem doing that if I can give you guys the statistics and say we really are behind and we need to bring this up.”  

Four budget committee members' terms are up at the end of 2022. Hart said the position is an elected one. They run only in the general election and not the primary.  

The budget committee will meet again in the second or third week in January. Hart was not specific on a date but said it will likely be a Thursday.  

The purpose of the meeting will be for the committee to go over applications for the American Recovery Act Funds that the commissioners placed under the auspices of the budget committee.  

Budget committee members said they did not know what to expect with the applications and Hart said all the applications had been scanned and after a couple of clarifications from the consultant he could disseminate them to the members.  

Hart said they would have the materials well before their meeting.